


Searching

by Callester



Series: Moments of Comfort [2]
Category: Fruits Basket (Anime 2001), Fruits Basket (Anime 2019), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: F/M, Holding Hands, House Hunting, Kissing, Long-Distance Relationship, working
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26677765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callester/pseuds/Callester
Summary: Where Rin helps Haru in his house hunting quest. Post Fruits Basket.
Relationships: Sohma Hatsuharu/Sohma Rin
Series: Moments of Comfort [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941181
Kudos: 14





	Searching

**_Searching_ **

_Where Rin helps Haru in his house hunting quest. Post Fruits Basket._

* * *

Rin heaves a low sigh for the umpteenth time as her eyes continue to scan around the space confined by pale white walls and minimalist furniture settings. It is only sometime noon now, but she could already feel the drain of her energy upon the rainy day while maintaining a heavy scrutinise on yet another potential house for rent after a full week of constant searching and visiting. Of course there is also some thought left in her head dedicated to her new job as an artist amidst all that. Blank canvases are left in the car, momentarily forgotten as she focuses herself into the task of judging the current state and amenities of the new building.

Haru had expressed his wish in moving out and renting his own place from a few months back. He even asked for Rin’s help in doing so as he claimed her decision to be _utterly_ important, rendering the latter to be slightly confused but eventually agreed in the end. It was only at the beginning of this week had they finally gained the time in catching up to their plans after a rather thorough joint research. His aim from the start was rather straightforward; to settle at a place near the city as that would help him in reaching his workplace in a shorter time and distance, while not ruling out the factor where Rin happened to have started her work at a place not too far from his as well.

Hence here they are, observing the fifth house in their list and apparently the last one too. The first two visits had them still wondering and grasping upon their preferences, mostly on Haru’s part since Rin noted that almost all of the houses they went held some sort of resemblance to each other’s styles. With this being said, Haru had rejected the other choices up until the current one. Rin rounds the house for the second time before meeting Haru at the living room, where he had just returned from sending off the salesperson before agreeing to meet up again for key-returning procedure in two hours’ time.

“So, what do you think of it?” Haru asks first and eventually joins Rin’s quick glimpse around the area.

Meeting the same start of conversation for the fifth time around, she tirelessly conveys her thoughts. “It matches with all of the items in the checklist. Everything here looks fine to me.” Similarly, Rin’s words are more or less constant throughout their opinion-exchanging routine during their house hunting adventures though this time, she pauses thoughtfully before turning her gaze at Haru. “But it puzzles me a bit, Haru. I see no difference between this house as compared to the previous ones. We are thorough enough in ensuring that all of the houses within our range of choices would meet most of your needs and even so, you still choose to reject them all.”

There is a few seconds’ pause between them. “Well, have you found out the reason behind it though?” Haru replies right after, seemingly allowing Rin the time to gather her curiosity first.

Furrowing her brows deeply, Rin takes another look towards the screen of her phone to go through the list again. All of the needed spaces and electrical necessities have been on point up until this very moment, confusing her even more of her own judgement. “Well, literally _everything_ is here. I have even gone through this house for the second time around in checking all of it. Unless… Am I missing something in my list?”

To that, Haru agrees quickly to her query. “A rather _important_ one, in fact.” Chastising her own carelessness while attempting to pass her phone to Haru for him to skim through the incomplete list, Haru reaches out for her extended wrist instead and pulls her close before staring right at her eyes with a playful glimpse in his own. “ _You_.”

Haru’s words would have caused Rin’s face to brighten up in embarrassment but her current seriousness helps in covering such weakly display on her features. “Invalid reasoning, Haru. What do _I_ have to do with all these?” She rolls her eyes as her light chuckle reverberates through the almost vacant room.

“There should be a space _here_ to call your own, though.” He counters simply, smiling in reply to her still clueless counterpart.

“No, I don’t. We are finding _your_ settlement now and I, _myself_ , am above the rule of your checklists.” Rin attempts to reason, the two breaking away in return for space as she begins to roam through the other corner of the house, still with an investigating intent.

Haru sighs a bit. “Well, yes. It is a part of _my_ checklist now, Rin.” Meeting her bewildered look from the turn of her head, he elaborates. “You did claim that the first few searches were a warmup round for us to gain more clues on all the basic necessities needed. And after those _misadventures_ , I did come to a realisation that I had terribly missed _you_ out.”

Though Haru is never apart from his strange remarks, Rin cannot help but finds the need for him to clarify his words. “Okay, hold up. I think I am a little lost from your direction of thoughts at the moment, but you said that I needed _‘a space to call my own’_ here.” Haru nods at Rin’s rephrased words as she continues. “Why?”

The few times she had asked Haru a rather direct question of _‘why’_ before, she was presented by shocking revelations from him. And yes, she is quickly reminded of his confession from the time when everything appeared to be complicated and impossible for them to be together. Now that all those factors are safely excluded, they seek for a more stable life for the sake of building a sturdy future together. With that stated out, she is somehow preparing for another unlikely and undoubtedly direct answer from him.

“So you can store your work supplies here; canvas and all that.” Haru’s answer is still too blunt to be understood wholly by Rin. “I recalled the time when you spoke up your difficulties in carrying your ongoing work pieces between Kagura’s home and your workplace over the distance before. Hence, I thought that by including your own space _here_ , it will help you out in the long run.”

To say that Rin is not taken aback by Haru’s precise memory in recalling her complaints that may date weeks ago would be an utter understatement. They had been too accustomed in sharing their daily routine through random conversations that she had dismissed her own case as a minor subject that required her own independent intervention. Speaking to one another after a hectic day had always leave them with a relieving comfort to their minds since there were times when they had hardly ever met the other over the weekends due to adapting to their busy schedules. And in all honesty, the change had aroused a feeling of fear in them at first, though time had proven the strength of their relationship almost instantly after.

“It’s touching that you remembered that, but I will need all those canvas _with_ me in order for me to continue with it in my own time right after working hours. Might as well as sacrifice my sleep for them sooner or later.” Rin grimaces to herself over the latter statement for a while. “And as much as it is convenient to have them placed at your place since it is nearer to the office, I can’t work on it if I don’t have them. Unless I am _here_ with them too during those times, obviously.” She adds the last part jokingly.

Meeting Haru’s earnest smile as he leans against the wall that connects to an extra room – as opposed to the necessities stated in their list – Rin only raises an eyebrow while listening to him. “That way, we can still spend time together _while_ working, don’t you think?”

It takes a full minute for Rin to make sense of everything as she analyses both her spoken thought and along with Haru’s rather eased remark, as if what she said has been his intent all this time. True that they had come to a truce of trading their meetups with more important tasks from work during selected times ever since they both started working simultaneously, and there was hardly a complaint made from both sides for they still managed to get pass that barrier with other technological means as substitution. Apart from that, they would sort out their breaks to go on dates as they had frequently done in the past. Until just mere moments ago when Haru had come up with a radical solution for the inescapable built-up distance between them over time.

“In order to do that, a bigger space is needed. And since this house has such advantage,” Haru glances around – with Rin seemingly just noticed its size comparison – before continuing, “As you said earlier on, it does meet _all_ of my needs now.”

Another full minute goes by with Rin simply engaging herself in her own long train of thoughts. “Haru.” Rin crosses her arms and waits for Haru to face her as a slow smirk threatens to tug at her lips. “Are you asking me to stay with you in the most indirect way possible?”

He shrugs coolly before replying with a similarly striking smirk. “Definitely getting there. If you had missed out all the signs due to your understandingly overworking mind, I would just straight out ask you in the next minute.”

At this exact moment, her smile widens naturally upon meeting Haru’s stare. “You could have used the direct approach first, though.” Rin remarks playfully as Haru closes their space once again and clasps her free hand.

“But occasionally, of course.” He pauses for a bit. “If you ever find yourself in need of a change of view while working with some projects at Kagura’s house, know that I will always welcome your stay _here_ for as long as you like, Rin. It is only a matter of your choice.”

As he had done so many times in the past, Haru would always leave Rin to her options. Regardless of her chosen path that may lead her away or even back to him, he promises to himself that he would support her choice once she comes to settle with it. Such comprehensiveness happens to be Haru’s dominant trait and that alone becomes one of the few reasons behind Rin’s deepening feelings towards him since the beginning. Despite being destined into facing a rather cruel reality of the world and the environment they had grown up from, it never stops to amaze her as to how strongly maintained his pure intentions are.

“I would love that.” Rin replies on beat, causing Haru’s features to break into a contagious grin as they continue to trap themselves in each other’s gazes before settling for a kiss that deepened at the briefest of moments.

Unknown to Rin, she becomes the cure to Haru’s recurring dark side where the consequences that comes with breaking into such part of him has not been unknown to her. But even so, she manages to steer him away from all triggers and eventually reduces its appearance altogether. Haru does admit that Rin brings more stability to his unexpected behaviour at times and for that, he is just above grateful of being in love with her.

Breaking away from one another due to the bombarding sound of thunder, the two laughed for a while before diving back into their current focus. “Shall we confirm our choice on this house, then?” Haru asks, the plural reference in his sentence no longer puzzles Rin as she nods in reply.

“I believe it has been long due for us to finally settle on something.” The mirth in her voice causes Haru to respond with a sudden hug and a kiss on Rin’s forehead.

“Let’s do it.”

With hands still intertwined tightly with one another’s, they give the house another glance while exiting through the main door with smiles evident on their faces. Perhaps they were previously known to be the broken pieces resulted from the stories of their past, as bounded by an inescapable curse that once limited their own freedom to live. But instead of dwelling themselves upon such tragic tales, they are above grateful to find each other through the twisted fate. For they had long come into accepting all the sharp edges they had known into forging a complete piece of their own.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! ❤️


End file.
